Foreign Relations

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Foreign Secretary and  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government on educational, cultural and business links between Wales and (i) the People's Republic of China, (ii) India and (iii) the Republic of South Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the Assembly Government on all issues affecting Wales. I will continue to work in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government to promote Wales on the international stage.
	The First Minister recently signed a Co-operation Agreement with Chongqing municipality while visiting China, further strengthening economic and cultural links between the two countries. The Deputy First Minister recently led a Trade Mission delegation to India in November last year, further enhancing the activities of International Business Wales in respect of inward investment, trade and the creative industries. I am also aware that South Africa continues to remain a strong trade partner for Wales, particularly in Welsh export destinations.
	The Prime Minister recently visited both China and India in January this year, one of the main purpose of the visit being to build on the strong trade and investment links between Britain and the two countries.

Learning Disability: Employment

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  (b) Mencap Cymru and  (c) the Shaw Trust on employment opportunities for young people with learning difficulties in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the voluntary sector on a range of issues including employment opportunities for young people with learning difficulties in Wales.
	The vision of both the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments' and that of the voluntary sector, is one of full social inclusion, where social barriers are dismantled and everyone has access to the services they require to be able to lead fulfilled lives. The Government are fully aware that this can be achieved through closer partnership working and collaboration, not just within government, but also across the voluntary, private and public sector organisations including Mencap and the Shaw Trust.
	Organisations like these and Learning Disability Wales, which the Assembly Government sponsor, play a key role in enabling children and young people with learning difficulties to realise their aspirations and skills including gaining opportunities towards employment.

Industrial Health and Safety: Materials Handling Equipment

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths were recorded on construction sites resulting from  (a) falls,  (b) collapses,  (c) accidents involving vehicles and  (d) other causes in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Over the last five full reporting years the number of fatal injuries sustained from falls, collapses, accidents involving vehicles and other causes in construction, reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR), are provided in the following table. They include workers and members of the public.
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March  Falls  Collapses  Vehicles  Other  Total 
			 2002-03 34 5 6 30 75 
			 2003-04 40 3 10 22 75 
			 2004-05 27 13 7 30 77 
			 2005-06 26 4 8 26 64 
			 2006-07(1) 26 8 6 44 84 
			 (1) Figures for 2006-07 are provisional until the release of 2007-08 figures in July 2008. Reporting years run from 1 April to 31 March each year.

State Retirement Pensions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have had their UK state pensions frozen since 2000; how many had their pensions frozen in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: As at March 2007 there were 530,600 state pension in payment at a frozen rate, of which 185,300 had been frozen on or after 1 April 2000.
	 Notes
	1. Data is taken from 5 per cent. extract of PSCS, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the WPLS.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	3. Figures are based on the live caseload as at March each year where the pension in payment is at the frozen rate.
	4. Figures for 2007 are not available.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample data

Winter Fuel Payments: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who were eligible for winter fuel payments in each local authority area in Hampshire did not claim payments in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Mike O'Brien: The vast majority of winter fuel payments are made automatically without the need to claim based on information held in DWP records. A small number of people whose circumstances we do not know, for instance because they are not on State Pension or other benefits administered by DWP, need to make a claim so that their eligibility can be assessed. It is therefore not possible to say how many people may be eligible for a winter fuel payment and are not receiving it. We can only assess eligibility for those people who are in contact with the Department and whose circumstances are known to us.
	The following table shows the number of winter fuel payments made in each local authority area in Hampshire over each of the last five years. Figures for winter 2007-08 are not yet available but we expect the number to be similar to that for winter 2006-07.
	
		
			   P ayments made 
			  Hampshire local authority area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 25,490 26,010 26,310 27,010 27,970 
			 East Hampshire 22,430 22,980 23,330 23,960 24,740 
			 Eastleigh 22,090 22,510 22,720 23,170 23,780 
			 Fareham 23,940 24,400 24,720 25,240 26,010 
			 Gosport 15,430 15,580 15,630 15,830 16,160 
			 Hart 14,860 15,330 15,830 16,290 16,980 
			 Havant 27,850 28,170 28,140 28,560 29,090 
			 New Forest 46,750 47,360 47,520 48,030 49,050 
			 Rushmoor 12,380 12,520 12,540 12,730 13,040 
			 Test Valley 21,380 21,980 22,350 22,990 23,830 
			 Winchester 22,940 23,300 23,470 23,930 24,520 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source:  Information directorate 100 per cent. data.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who has access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport takes the issues of privacy and data security extremely seriously, and keeps its policies on data sharing under active review.
	Direct access to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) registers is available only to security cleared DVLA staff who have a business need to access that data, and Fujitsu database administrators. Depending on the business need, staff are able to view or amend records to maintain DVLA's registers.
	A full download of both the driver and vehicle registers is provided daily to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) for inclusion on the Police National Computer (PNC).
	DVLA is rolling out their Driver Validation Service (DVS) to the police to provide instant access to drivers' information through the desktop. DVS provides an interface between the Police National Computer and the drivers' register which only allows authenticated users to submit enquiries on drivers' records via the Government Secure Internet. To date 12 forces in England and Wales, and all nine forces in Scotland have live access to this service.
	In addition, North Wales police are piloting a new system which provides DVS through handheld devices, facilitating access to drivers' details, including photograph and signature, at the roadside. This will allow for immediate identification and help the police to enforce against unlicensed and disqualified drivers while negating the need for motorists to produce their driving licence at a police station.
	DVLA shares driver data with other public bodies on a case by case basis on receipt of individual applications. The government bodies that have previously requested information include:
	Department for Work and Pensions;
	Home Office;
	Ministry of Justice;
	HM Revenue and Customs;
	Ministry of Defence;
	Local authorities/councils;
	Driver licensing authorities/operator licensing authorities in other EU/Crown dependant/oversees territories who are members of the European Car and Driving Licence Information System (EUCARIS).
	The reason for disclosure will vary from Department to Department.
	Driver data may also be disclosed to the following types of commercial companies with the consent of the individual motorist:
	Car hire companies;
	Insurance companies, or their intermediaries;
	Those employing drivers, or their intermediaries;
	Motability.
	In addition to the Government Departments listed above, DVLA may also disclose vehicle data to local authorities investigating an offence or a decriminalised parking contravention, customs officers, or those individuals or public and private bodies that can demonstrate 'reasonable cause' to need such data. The types of organisations that have previously been able to demonstrate 'reasonable cause' are available at:
	www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/AdviceOnKeepingYourVehicle/DG_4022066
	What constitutes 'reasonable cause' will vary from case to case. Decisions on whether to release data take account of the reasons provided for the request and the supporting evidence. Information provided in return is only that which is relevant and proportional to the Inquiry. No organisation has unfettered access.
	Five commercial companies are provided with a bulk download of the vehicle data, excluding vehicle keeper data, to provide vehicle checking services. This information is updated periodically and matched with police and insurance industry data so that those considering purchasing a vehicle may confirm that the vehicle is as presented and is not stolen, scrapped or seriously damaged.
	Finally, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review. An interim progress report on the review was published on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS, by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement. I also refer the hon. Member to the statement of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 624-26, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on measures to improve the security of personal data.

Leamside Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the future of the Leamside Line following the conclusion of the Rail Utilisation Strategy for the East Coast Main Line.

Tom Harris: The publication of the East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy by Network Rail at the end of February did not promote increased use of the Leamside Line for the foreseeable future. The Secretary of State does not propose any further assessment.

Park and Ride Schemes: Olympic Games 2012

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had on the provision of park-and-ride sites for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tom Harris: Transport plans for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are being developed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), and are discussed regularly with my officials. Park and Ride forms an important part of those plans and the ODA estimate that up to 10 per cent. of spectators to the Olympic park will travel by park and ride. The ODA is in the process of assessing and acquiring suitable sites for Park and Ride operations. In addition, Park and Rail services will run from Ebbsfleet to Stratford International station.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the comprehensive spending review.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Annex pertaining to my Department in "Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7277)".
	The summary results of DEFRA's zero-based budget reviews were also published in "Defra Value for Money Delivery Agreement Comprehensive Spending Review 2007" which is available on DEFRA's website.

Departmental Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in his Department have been able to work from home in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not keep centrally held records of staff who work from home and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Home working commences because it enables DEFRA to both recruit and maintain a diverse work force. Home working helps staff maintain a work life balance. DEFRA is committed to helping its staff maintain a work life balance and recognises that home working can help to reduce the need to travel to work thereby removing journey time and potentially reducing overall transport congestion and pollution as well as individual stress levels. Therefore, DEFRA believes that home working contributes not just to staff welfare but ultimately to delivery of a high quality service to our customers. DEFRA supports home working and is taking steps to ensure that the necessary tools and technologies are in place to facilitate this as part of its overall policy on flexible working. Home working can include the occasional day or days taken to complete a specific task or address a particular situation and is available to all staff subject to business needs. Alternatively it can be a permanent arrangement with regular home working days appropriate to the individual's situation.
	Managers and individuals are encouraged to think creatively about working patterns so that efficient working can most easily be combined with other responsibilities and with employee's interests, responsibilities and personal circumstances.

Departmental Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how frequently the residual waste bins of each of his Department's buildings are collected.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following arrangements exist in the 3 main areas; London Estate, York and Alnwick.
	 London
	Waste is collected from the floors of each building each evening.
	There is also a daily janitor service who will collect waste on request.
	The waste then goes to the collection points at each building (in the basements) of Whitehall Place, Eastbury, Page Street and Millbank.
	The waste is collected from these points daily with general waste being collected in the morning and paper and drink vessels collected in the afternoon.
	Ink cartridges are collected daily from the floors and weekly from the collection points. Batteries and DVD are collected from the collection tubes in the reception and placed in the collection points in the basement area and collected on request.
	 York
	Waste is collected from all floors each evening by the evening cleaning staff and on request through the day via the janitor.
	The waste from the floors goes to three collection points at Kings Pool split into general waste, paper, cardboard and other recyclable waste.
	The waste is collected from these three points: general waste on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Paper, Cardboard and other recycled waste every Monday.
	Toner cartridges and batteries are collected from each floor as and when they are left for collection. Plastics, cans and glass are collected from the Beverage Bays daily and placed in the collection point in the undercroft car park and collected by a local recycling supplier once a week.
	 Alnwick
	Waste is collected from each floor each evening by the evening cleaning team.
	The waste goes to a collection point at Lion House.
	The waste is then collected each Friday.
	Toner cartridges and batteries are collected from each floor as and when they are left for collection. Paper, Plastic and cans are collected from the recycling bins as and when they are full and on request and taken direct to the local recycling centre.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice the Local Authority Support Direct Consultancy Service has given to waste collection authorities on household rubbish collections.

Joan Ruddock: 67 waste projects have been resourced by the Defra, Waste Implementation Programme, Direct Consultancy Support for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial years, involving 327 local authorities. The projects were broken down into the following categories:
	Waste composition: 22 projects involving 116 local authorities.
	Waste strategies: 27 projects involving 105 local authorities.
	Waste procurement: nine projects involving 61 local authorities.
	Waste planning: nine projects involving 45 local authorities.
	The focus for 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial years was to assist local authorities in their decision-making process in planning, strategy, procurement, and waste composition analysis. Applications for the final year of Direct Consultancy Support for the financial year 2007-08 closed in October 2006.
	In 2005-06, 120 Direct Consultancy Support projects were resourced involving 316 authorities. In total 372 (94.4 per cent.) of the 394 local authorities in England received Direct Consultancy Support in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 869W, on waste disposal: domestic waste, what means local authorities will use to recover debts arising from non-payment of charges of the collection of household waste.

Joan Ruddock: As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 869W, it is envisaged that local authorities would be able to recover any money owed by residents through the courts as a civil debt.
	The Government have also tabled an amendment to the waste provisions in the Climate Change Bill. This would allow the Secretary of State to make regulations enabling authorities to recover more efficiently any charges owed.

Compost: Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 227W, on compost: non-domestic rates, when the existing policy on valuing rateable composting facilities was introduced.

John Healey: Whether facilities or property is rateable or not for the purpose of non-domestic rates depends on the facts of the case and the relevant rating legislation. It falls to the Valuation Officer to determine the rateability— there is no specific policy case by case. The relevant section of the Valuation Office rating manual clarifying guidance on the valuation of non-exempt composting properties was published on 6 September 2007.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress her Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the annex pertaining to my Department in "Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review" (Cm 7227).
	The Department published our "Value for Money Delivery Agreement" in January this year and this sets out how Communities and Local Government will achieve its target of at least £887 million vfm gains by March 2011.

Floods: EU Grants and Loans

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of funding for which the Government has applied to the EU for emergency flood relief; whether the funding is additional to funding already allocated by the Government for this purpose; whether the EU funding will be spent on  (a) recovery and  (b) future flood prevention; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: In August 2007 the UK Government applied for funding from the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist with recovery from the floods of 2007. On 10 December 2007, the EU announced that they were recommending that the UK receive €162.388 million, which will equate to around £110 million, since the exchange rate is fixed to the time of application. This recommendation was approved by the Budgetary Committee on 28 February 2008. We are currently working alongside the European Commission to draft the implementation agreement which will allow the money to be paid to the UK, and we expect to receive the money in spring.
	The nature of the EUSF is that it is to reimburse emergency operations undertaken by public bodies, we have yet to make detailed decisions on how this money is to be spent.
	The regulations that govern the EUSF are clear that the fund may only be spent on recovery from a disaster, and not on measures to prevent future disasters. We can therefore not use the EUSF to fund future flood prevention measures or on other improvement measures. Government have already announced that it will be investing over £2.15 billion on flood and coastal erosion risk management during the next three years.

Housing: Lancashire

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to improve housing in Morecombe.

Iain Wright: Regeneration in Morecambe is currently targeting the West End where a sustained period of redevelopment will increase owner occupation, reduce the rented sector, provide a more balanced community, improve physical environment and maximize the opportunity for local job creation.
	A masterplan has been developed for the West End (Winning Back Morecambe's West End); key partners include the city council, English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and North West Development Agency. Its core objectives include to change the tenure mix in the area and to create more family accommodation.
	The Housing Corporation is working positively with Lancaster city council and English Partnerships to deliver the strategy for Morecambe. Most recently they met Lancaster councillors to discuss a longer term the needs of Morecambe and an integrated strategy.
	Future housing development in Morecambe will be determined through public consultation on the Lancaster District Core Strategy, which proposes the continuing regeneration of the town.

Housing: Regional Planning and Development

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account her Department plans to take of the core principles of the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy set out in paragraphs 3.4 and 3.14 in the development of its strategy for housing in the region.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has appointed an independent panel to consider the West Midlands regional spatial strategy (RSS) phase 2 revision which sets out planned levels of housing development for the West Midlands. The panel will need to consider and test the proposals set out in the revised draft submission as prepared by the regional planning body as well as any additional evidence relating to this at the examination in public of the RSS phase 2 revision.
	My noble Friend Baroness Andrews has requested the Government office for the West Midlands to commission work to look at housing options which could deliver higher housing numbers than those set out in the phase 2 revision. This additional work will be evidence to be considered by the panel at the examination in public alongside the draft RSS submission document.
	In asking for this additional work to be undertaken, my noble Friend Baroness Andrews, was clear in her letter to the West Midlands regional assembly that she does not wish to fundamentally question the spatial strategy for the region in advance of the public examination. However, she is also concerned that the very rigid applications of some of the principles of the spatial strategy may be unnecessarily constraining longer-term development with implications on affordability of housing. This will also be an issue for the panel to consider.
	At this stage, it is inappropriate for the Secretary of State to comment on emerging proposals for housing development and the evidence underpinning these in advance of the examination in public as these matters need to be independently tested. Furthermore, as the Secretary of State has a statutory role in the issuing of the final RSS, any comments at this stage on the merits of emerging proposals could prejudice her future decision-making role.

Local Government Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what each local authority's  (a) target according to the funding formula and  (b) actual funding allocation following the application of the dampening mechanism was in each year since 1997; and what the real term change in funding was in each year.

John Healey: Tables showing the formula grant before floor damping, the formula grant after floor damping, and the real-terms change year-on-year on a like-for-like basis, i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function for 2001-02 for authorities with responsibility for education and social services and for each year since 2002-03 for all authorities have been deposited in the Library of the House.
	Formula grant comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates, principal formula police grant, SSA reduction grant (SSA Review), SSA reduction grant (Police Funding Review) and central support protection grant, where appropriate.
	Floor damping was introduced in 2001-02 for authorities with responsibility for education and social services. In the following year floor damping was introduced for all authorities. Floor damping is an integral part of the formula grant system—the amount of formula grant before floor damping is not a funding target, it is simply a step in the calculation of the amount of formula grant that an authority receives.
	The GDP deflator has been used to adjust the previous year's adjusted formula grant in order to calculate the real-terms increase in formula grant. The adjusted formula grant is a notional figure that is only used to ensure that we compare formula grant for damping purposes on a like-for-like basis (i.e. that we are comparing against the amount of grant the authority would have received had the same services been supported through formula grant as in the current year).

Regional Government: Brussels

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1343-44W, on regional government: Brussels, if she will place in the Library copies of the most recent set of audited accounts of each of the regional offices in Brussels.

John Healey: The offices in Brussels are facilities. They are not separate organisations. Their costs are borne by the regional partners who fund them, including the regional development agencies, regional arms of the Local Government Association and regional assemblies. These costs are included in the partner organisations' published accounts available on their websites. Those for the regional assemblies, for which my Department is responsible, were included in the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1343-44W.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Kingsnorth

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had, and with whom, on the implementation of on-site archaeological work during the construction and operational phases of proposals for coal-fired power station development  (a) at Kingsnorth in Kent and  (b) in the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is currently discussing suggested conditions to be included in any planning permission the Secretary of state may deem to be granted with Medway Council. These conditions will cover archaeological investigation and preservation.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Kingsnorth

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the availability of carbon sinks in the UK suitable to store captured carbon dioxide from the proposed Kingsnorth power station; what representations he has received on this matter and from whom; and what estimate he has made of the likely costs of transporting carbon dioxide from Kingsnorth to the most likely site for storage.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have published two recent studies on the availability of carbon dioxide sinks generally. The first in 2006, was undertaken by the British Geological Survey and looked at sources and sinks for CO2 . This concluded that the combined CO2 storage potential in North Sea sinks should be sufficient to meet both UK and Norwegian needs for many decades. "Industrial Carbon Dioxide Emission and Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential in the UK (Holloway, S., Vincent C.J. and Kirk, K.L) DTI Cleaner Fossil fuels programme report COAL R308, DTI Publications URN 06/2027": is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file35684.pdf
	The second, published in November 2007, under the auspices of the North Sea Basin Task Force, focused not just on the sinks, but also on the pipe work infrastructure needed to transport the CO2 from its source to its storage site. It is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/sustainable/carbon-abatement-tech/ccs/nsbtf/page42482.html
	I have received no representations on this matter.
	Estimates of costs for transporting carbon dioxide from Kingsnorth to any storage site would be a matter for the developer.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Public Participation

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what opportunities he plans to provide for public participation in the consenting process for the proposed Kingsnorth coal-fired power station.

Malcolm Wicks: The application and accompanying Environmental Statement were published in accordance with the requirements of The Electricity (Applications for Consent) Regulations 1990 (SI 1990 No 455) and The Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 200 (SI 2000 No 1927). The notices contained details of how anyone who wished to make representations could do so.
	In addition, anyone who wishes to make representations is free to do so and any such representations will be taken into account before any decision on the application is taken. The Secretary of State will have to consider whether or not to use his discretion to call for a public inquiry to be held into the application.

Energy: Coal

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the contribution of supercritical coal to the UK's projected 2015 energy mix.

Malcolm Wicks: On current projections we anticipate that between 2,000 and 3,000 MW of new super critical coal capacity will be built by 2015. There are significant uncertainties in such estimates.

Energy: Complaints

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to ensure that the new complaint handling standard for gas and electricity consumers reflects the views of consumers outlined by Ofgem in Consumers Views on Complaint Handling published in November 2007 on the accuracy and transparency of information provided by suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 provides for Ofgem to set complaint handling standards for its regulated service providers. The report "Research on Consumers' Views on Complaint Handling" was commissioned by Ofgem specifically to feed into its decisions on prescribing complaint handling standards, as is made clear in the introduction to the report. Ofgem has also undertaken a public consultation on its proposals on this issue. It may be expected that these exercises will contribute to the formulation of the standards.

Vocational Training

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will commission research to assess the effects on skills and apprenticeships in England of apprenticeships and training policies implemented by the devolved administrations.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 6 March 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	We took account of evidence from other countries in formulating our proposals to expand and improve Apprenticeships in England. Ministers need to consider parallel developments from time-to-time.

Blood Transfusions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone), of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1298W, on blood transfusions, on what evidential basis his Department will reach estimates of the prevalence of preclinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or a carrier state in the donor population and consequent estimates of infections prevented through filtration and the benefit of life years saved; when it expects to receive such evidence; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department currently uses a variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) sub-clinical prevalence estimate based on one study of tonsil and appendix samples which identified three affected samples out of 12,674 tested. This suggests a prevalence of about 1 in 4,000, though with very wide ranges of uncertainty and a statistical confidence interval of between 1 in 1,400 and 1 in 20,000.
	The Department supports other studies to estimate prevalence and the Health Protection Agency is collecting 100,000 pairs of tonsils for vCJD testing. To date over 45,000 pairs of tonsils have been tested, none of which was positive.
	No estimates have yet been made of the potential for infections to be prevented through the filtration of blood or of the benefit of life years saved.

Chronically Sick: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards the targets for the National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions in Eastbourne.

Ann Keen: It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT, within the national health service to develop locally the levels of service described in the "National Service Framework for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions" (the NSF). A copy of this document is available in the Library. The NSF has a 10-year implementation programme from its publication in March 2005, with flexibility for organisations to set the pace of change locally to take account of differences in local priorities and needs.
	Information on the progress that has been achieved locally with regard to the implementation of the targets set out in the NSF can be obtained direct from East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT.

Chronically Sick: Health Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of progress against its target of offering a care plan to every patient with a long-term condition by 2010.

Ann Keen: The Department plans to publish a framework describing best practice on personalised and integrated care planning in the spring of 2008. Methods for assessing progress towards the commitment to offer everyone with a long-term condition, a care plan by 2010 are being considered as part of implementation of the framework.

Prostate Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 23 March 2007 to the hon. Member for Tyne Bridge,  Official Report, column 1202W, on prostate cancer, what decision-making aids were piloted by the Action on Urology programme between 2004 and 2005; in which areas the decision-making aids were piloted; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Decision-making aids for patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (enlarged prostate) were piloted in the first phase of the Action on Urology informed decision making project between 2004 and 2005. They included videos/DVDs for patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and BPH, booklets to accompany the videos/DVDs and decision quality assessment forms. In addition, specialist nurses were trained in shared decision-making. The first phase of the project piloted the use of these decision aids in four sites in England: Ipswich Hospital, Stockport Royal Infirmary, Colchester General Hospital and East Berkshire NHS Trust.
	The project is currently in its second phase, developing the decision aids suitable for United Kingdom practices, which will eventually be web-based. In addition to the materials mentioned, they include personal decision forms and staff training materials. These materials are in development with the assistance of a further six pilot sites: Royal Marsden and Epsom General, The West Anglia Cancer Network (West Suffolk and Addenbrookes), Bradford, Plymouth, University College Hospital and Cardiff Hospital.
	The roll-out of the programme is to be undertaken via the established cancer networks.

Prostate Cancer: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on treating prostate cancer in hospitals in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: It is for individual primary care trusts to decide the level of funding they allocate locally for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients within their local population. Information on this funding is not collected centrally.
	Nationally, data on national health service expenditure on cancer is not collected by cancer type. In 2006-07, £4.35 billion was spent by the NHS on cancer services, approximately 5.2 per cent. of all NHS spending for that year.

Developing Countries: Food

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries in receipt of UK development assistance import more than  (a) 25 per cent. and  (b) 50 per cent. of food consumed by their populations.

Gillian Merron: 66 developing countries received more than £1 million of DFID bilateral assistance (including DFID debt relief) in 2006-07 (the last year for which we have figures).
	 (a) Of these, the following countries import more than 25 per cent. of their food by weight but less than 50 per cent:
	Burundi;
	Cameroon;
	Ghana;
	Sri Lanka;
	Mozambique;
	Nicaragua;
	Rwanda; Zimbabwe, and
	Democratic Republic of Congo.
	 (b) The following countries import more than 50 per cent. of their food by weight:
	Albania;
	Angola;
	Armenia;
	Benin;
	Bosnia and Herzegovina;
	Gambia;
	Georgia;
	Jamaica;
	Jordan;
	Lebanon;
	Liberia;
	Peru;
	Senegal;
	Sierra Leone; and
	Yemen.
	The data (derived from the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute) does not distinguish those food imports that can be used for animal food and other non-human consumption and those that are used for human consumption.

Humanitarian Aid

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 835, on humanitarian aid, which Government department employs the Humanitarian Assistance Unit staff; what contribution the Department of Culture, Media and Sport makes to the unit; and which other departments make contributions.

Tessa Jowell: The Humanitarian Assistance Unit staff are employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS also funds the work of the unit.
	The following Departments and agencies contribute to the work of the unit, through the humanitarian assistance programme board: the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Health, the Cabinet Office, the Treasury, the Department of Works and Pensions, the Local Government Association, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills for what reasons the figure of 250,000 existing apprenticeships, as referred to in the press release of 16 November 2007, Ambitious Plans to Help Boost Nation's Job Prospects, is different from the figures for apprenticeships provided for  (a) 16 to 18-year-olds and  (b) adult learners in Table three and Table seven of the Learning and Skills Council's Statement of Priorities issued in November 2007.

David Lammy: The figure of 250,000 is calculated by reference to "Average in Learning" (AiL), that is the average number of Apprentices during the year. This is also the basis for the figures in Table 7 of the Learning and Skills Council's "Statement of Priorities".
	Table 3 uses a different methodology which counts the total number of Apprentices at any time during the year. This is to ensure comparability across the various funding lines for young people. The AiL numbers for 16-18 year olds are, however, also given in a footnote to the table.
	We announced, in "World-class Apprenticeships", that we are changing the way we count Apprenticeships. In place of AiL, we will count the number of people starting an Apprenticeship in the year ('starts') and the percentage who complete an Apprenticeship ('completion rate').

Bombs

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government plans to phase out cluster munitions in line with the developments of the Oslo Process.

Bob Ainsworth: The Oslo Process aims to conclude a legally binding instrument in 2008 on those cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The UK is engaged in the process to that end.

Bombs

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government intends to call for exemption of ballistic sensor fused munitions as part of the Oslo Process to ban all cluster munitions.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK is engaged in negotiations under the auspices of the Oslo Declaration and will handle the issue of individual weapon systems within that context.

Cyprus: Military Bases

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1490W, on Cyprus: military bases, how many individuals were  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of poaching under the Protection and Management of Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2004 in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to my right hon. Friend.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to John Spellar:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 5 March 2008, (Official Report, column 2554W) about individuals charged and convicted of poaching in sovereign base areas in Cyprus.
	Under the Protection and Management of Game and Wild Birds Ordinance, there are a variety of offences involving the shooting, killing, capturing or pursuing of game and/or wild birds. Approximately 90 per cent of the figures given below are for mist netting offences and carrying a shotgun in a game reserve area.
	The figures for the Sovereign Base Areas are:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number charged  Number convicted  Charged but pending 
			 2005-06 28 22 2 
			 2006-07 39 29 1 
			 2007-08 86 41 41 
		
	
	Cases pending for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are where the accused lives in the Republic of Cyprus and have chosen not to appear in front of the SBA court. In 2007-08 the pending cases are due to be heard over the next few months.

Departmental Security

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes staff in his Department reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in (i) his Department and (ii) departmental agencies in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, records are available from 2003 and I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the then Under-Secretaries of State on 28 January 2004, Offi cial Report, column 371W, and 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 1713W, to the Members for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) and Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) respectively.
	Figures for lost/stolen service identity cards for the period from July 2006 are as follows. It is not possible to differentiate between lost or stolen cards or whether the card relates to the Department or one of its agencies.
	
		
			   Lost/stolen military identity cards 
			 1 July 2006 to 31 December 2006 4,433 
			 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 6,812

Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation: Finance

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) annual budget of and  (b) UK contribution to the Organisation for Joint Armament co-operation was in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK contributions to the Organisation for Joint Armaments Cooperation (OCCAR) budgets for each year from 1997 are as follows. Annual budget information for OCCAR has not been provided as disclosure would prejudice relations between the UK and other OCCAR member states.
	
		
			  Table 1: Operating costs 
			   UK contribution to budget  UK contribution (estimated using an average of the general accounting rate for that year) 
			 1997 DM0.229 million £0.104 million 
			 1998 DM0.185 million £0.071 million 
			 1999 DM0.210 million £0.076 million 
			 2000 €2.713 million £1.799 million 
			 2001 €2.967 million £1.840 million 
			 2002 €3.743 million £2.329 million 
			 2003 €4.023 million £2.614 million 
			 2004 €4.737 million £3.271 million 
			 2005 €3.341 million £2.328 million 
			 2006 €3.246 million £2.291 million 
			 2007 €2.870 million £2.006 million 
			 2008 €3.174 million £2.235 million 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Equipment costs 
			   UK contribution to budget (€ million)  UK contribution (estimated using an average of the general accounting rate for that year) (£ million) 
			 2003 45.144 29.335 
			 2004 124.228 85.783 
			 2005 206.304 143.724 
			 2006 215.100 151.835 
			 2007 293.233 204.939 
			 2008 449.327 316.427

Education Maintenance Allowance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people who are not resident in the United Kingdom were receiving the education maintenance allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Young people who are not resident in the UK are not eligible to apply for education maintenance allowance (EMA) unless they are from a British forces family and attending a service children's education (SCE) school overseas.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) operate the EMA for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 4 March 2008:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked; "How many young people who are not resident in the United Kingdom were receiving the education maintenance allowance in the latest period for which figures are available."
	Young people who are not resident in the UK are not eligible to apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) unless they are from a British Forces family and attending a Service Children's Education (SCE) school overseas.
	In 2006/07 there were 14 learners receiving EMA with a BFPO postcode.

Departmental Official Visits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many official Ministerial visits he has made since taking office; and what the purpose was of each such visit.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 10 March 2008
	 Since taking up office, I have made 21 official ministerial visits to discuss current issues with people working in the policy areas covered by my Department and to see a range of cultural and sporting events.

Departmental Written Questions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the average time taken by his Department to give a substantive answer to ordinary written questions has been in Session 2007-08;
	(2)  what percentage of named day questions were given a substantive answer by his Department on the named day since October 2007.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 10 March 2008
	43 per cent. of named day questions tabled to my Department between 1 October 2007 and 29 February 2008 were given a substantive answer on the named day. This figure includes Named Day questions answered by the Minister for the Olympics.
	Information on the average number of days taken to answer ordinary written questions is not readily available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Hotels: Standards

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of  (a) hotels,  (b) guesthouses and  (c) bed and breakfasts were accredited in (i) England and (ii) London in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 February 2008
	My Department does not maintain a central record of accredited holiday accommodation.
	However VisitBritain administer a voluntary National Quality Accreditation Scheme (NQAS) and in 2007, it commissioned an accommodation census aimed at measuring the levels of hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses across the United Kingdom.
	The information provided by the 2007 census indicated 50 per cent. of holiday accommodation in the United Kingdom had been assessed as part of the NQAS.
	In 2006, Visit London undertook a comprehensive survey of the holiday accommodation in London boroughs and this showed that only 34 per cent. of the capital's accommodation providers (having 47 per cent. of total rooms) participate in NQAS.

Ministerial Residences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 688W, on Ministerial residences, what the value is of each property.

Tom Watson: Information on capital values of freehold properties is included in the National Asset Register 2007, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Public Appointments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to increase the scrutiny of public appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: "The Governance of Britain" Green Paper sets out the Government's proposals for improving the public appointments process. This includes a specific proposal to increase parliamentary scrutiny of public appointments by introducing pre-appointment hearings by parliamentary select committees for certain key posts. The Government set out more detail of the proposal in a letter to the Chair of the Liaison Committee on 23 January 2008. Copies of the letter are in the Library of the House. The Liaison Committee published their response on 5 March 2008. The Government are currently considering the response and will reply in due course.

Voluntary Organisations: Contracts

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of contracts awarded to third sector organisations that provide services in Norwich North that are three-year contracts;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards ensuring third sector organisations providing services in Norwich North are awarded three-year contracts.

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards ensuring that third sector organisations providing services in Eastbourne are awarded three-year contracts;
	(2)  what proportion of contracts awarded to third sector organisations that provide services in Eastbourne have been three-year contracts.

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what proportion of contracts awarded to third sector organisations that provide services in Peterborough are three-year contracts;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards ensuring third sector organisations providing services in Peterborough are awarded three-year contracts.

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of contracts awarded to third sector organisations that provide services in North West Cambridgeshire that are three year contracts;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards ensuring third sector organisations providing services in North West Cambridgeshire are awarded three year contracts.

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what progress has been made towards engaging third sector organisations providing publicly-funded services in Castle Point on three year contracts;
	(2)  what proportion of contracts awarded to third sector organisations that provide publicly-funded services in Castle Point are three year contracts.

David Borrow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made towards ensuring that third sector organisations which provide services in South Ribble are awarded three year contracts; and what proportion were awarded three year contracts in 2006-07.

Phil Hope: This Government are committed to ensuring that three year funding for third sector organisations becomes the norm rather than the exception. I will be reporting on Government progress in meeting this funding commitment to HM Treasury on an annual basis. The first report will be made in the autumn 2008 and will be laid before Parliament. It is expected that local authorities will be making reports on three year funding from 2009 onwards.
	The information requested is currently not recorded centrally.

Caribbean: Royal Visits

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the itinerary is for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales's official visit to the Caribbean in March 2008; what the  (a) date and  (b) location is of each official engagement during the visit; which countries included in the itinerary His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will be visiting as Heir Apparent to that country; and how many officials are expected to participate in the visit at public expense.

Meg Munn: holding answer 5 March 2008
	Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Trinidad and Tobago from 3 to 6 March, St. Lucia on 7 March, and Montserrat on 8 March and will visit Jamaica on 12 to 14 March.
	The objective of the visit is to reinforce ties with the Commonwealth Caribbean. Numerous engagements are planned, but as examples, in Trinidad and Tobago, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales undertook engagements related to crime and security; in St. Lucia engagements related to the environment, trade and investment; in Montserrat engagements related to environment and a visit to a community centre; and in Jamaica His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will undertake engagements relating to urban regeneration and climate security. For security reasons programme details, including times and locations, are not made public before a visit takes place. I shall write to my hon. Friend with the programme when the official visit to the Caribbean has finished.
	His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is in line to be the next Head of State of St. Lucia, Montserrat and Jamaica.
	Their Royal Highnesses are being accompanied by 14 members of their staff. In addition between three and 14 members of our respective High Commissions/Governor's office are participating in the visit.

International Cooperation: Human Rights

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to propose the inclusion of the UN holocaust education department on the preparatory committee for the Durban II conference at the Geneva preparatory committee of April 2008.

Meg Munn: The Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference is comprised of UN member states (as for other UN meetings). Non-governmental organisations, and UN Specialised Agencies, funds and programmes can observe in accordance with UN practice. The UN Secretariat—of which the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme is a part—would not normally participate in the Committee's deliberations in its own right.
	As stated in the response I gave to my hon. Friend on 28 February2008,  Official Report, columns 1822-23W, the Government will seek opportunities with our EU partners to give Holocaust education and remembrance appropriate attention as negotiations continue. As the preparatory process for the Durban Review Conference unfolds, we would expect input from all parts of the UN system that deals with issues relevant to the Conference.

Iran: Banks

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what steps will be taken by UK authorities as a result of the inclusion of Iranian banks Melli and Mellat in UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008); and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps the Government plan to take to exercise vigilance over the activities of financial institutions in the UK with all banks domiciled in Iran, as required in UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008).

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	In October 2007 HM Treasury, following agreement by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), advised the financial sector to consider applying increased scrutiny and due diligence to transactions associated with Iran due to deficiencies in Iran's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes. We reiterated this on 29 February 2008 following a second FATF statement.
	On 4 March 2008 HM Treasury published a notice on its website again advising caution and alerting the UK financial sector to the financial measures in UN Security Council Resolution 1803, which mentions Banks Melli and Sanderat. The notice is available at <http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9/C/fin_sanctions_iran_notification_040308.pdf>
	The UK also monitors the activities of UK financial institutions with all banks domiciled in Iran, in accordance with its international commitments.

Iran: Banks

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the possible links between Iranian banks Melli and Mellat, including their branches and subsidiaries abroad, and activities contributing to proliferation sensitive activities in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Banks Melli and Saderat, rather than Melli and Mellat, are mentioned in the text of UN Security Council Resolution 1803.
	The UK shares the concerns of the UN Security Council about Bank Melli's and Bank Saderat's links to the Iranian nuclear and missile programmes. The Security Council has called upon all states to exercise vigilance over the banks to prevent Iran from proliferating nuclear sensitive material. The UK continues to monitor Banks Melli and Saderat in accordance with its international commitments.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provisions are in place for international monitoring of the 29 March elections in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: holding answer 10 March 2008
	International monitoring of the forthcoming Zimbabwean elections will play a key role in determining whether they meet international norms and standards, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the Southern African Development Community principles and guidelines concerning elections, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory. The Government of Zimbabwe has stated that organisations may only observe the elections by invitation. A number of organisations, including the Southern African Development Community governments, have been invited to send observation teams. Regrettably, invitations have not been extended to a number of countries and a range of major democratic institutions, including the EU. We are concerned that this will constrain the ability of the international community to assess the conduct and outcome of the elections.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 7 January, transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP reference: NEWCASE/410308), about a points-based system for chefs applying for work permits to work in UK restaurants.

Liam Byrne: I replied to my hon. Friend on 10 March 2008.

Offenders: Deportation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 453W, on offenders: deportation, whether the Government is considering deporting at the start rather than at the completion of a prison sentence for non-UK nationals who are given a custodial sentence.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 26 February 2008
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 20 November 2007 that the Agency was commencing consideration of the majority of foreign national prisoners 12 months before the earliest date of release however there remain cases where that is not possible such as when individuals receive shorter sentences. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.
	Following a previous decision made by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal the Border and Immigration Agency is unable to consider a foreign national prisoner for deportation any earlier than 12 to 18 months before their earliest date of release. foreign national prisoner for deportation any earlier than 12 to 18 months before their earliest date of release.

Overseas Students: Sponsorship

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges there will be to institutions for joining the sponsors register to recruit international students; when the register will be become operational; and when she expects guidance on the accreditation process for membership of the register to be issued.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 6 March 2008
	To join the sponsor register to recruit international students, institutions will need show that they have been inspected or accredited by an appropriate inspection or accreditation body. Full details of our accreditation policy were published on 27 July 2007. The guidance is also available at the following web link:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/managingourborders/pbsdocs/tier4/T4_accreditationqanda.pdf?view=Binary
	and a copy will be placed in the House library. Institutions will be able to apply for a sponsor licence from the Border and Immigration Agency, in order to sponsor international students, from later this summer.

Police: Information and Communications Technology

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £50 million capital fund for mobile data devices has been spent; and how many devices are in use.

Tony McNulty: The allocation of the £50 million capital funding for the provision of this technology will not be available until the start of 2008-09 financial year.
	The total number of mobile data devices currently in use is not held centrally as this is a matter for individual police forces.
	The Government have, however, already funded a pilot of mobile information systems in six police forces areas and as a result of the pilot the number of handheld computers in use in these police forces is estimated to have risen from 250 at the end of 2006 to 2,500 at the end of 2007.
	Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement to provide the police service with additional hand-held devices, supported by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's £50 million pledge for this technology in September 2007, we expect the total number of hand held computers in use by the police service to exceed 10,000 by the end of 2008.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency is working closely with the Association of Police Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers on a Mobile Information Programme, and police forces are preparing their applications for funding in 2008-09 financial year in order to progress this initiative.

Prisoners Release

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1437-38W, on prisoners' release, how many of the prisoners were deported on their release to  (a) Jamaica,  (b) Nigeria,  (c) Vietnam and  (d) China.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee during her appearance of 15 January that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners had been deported in 2007.
	The information contained in the response provided by the Secretary for Justice to which you refer is for 2002 until 2006. Statistics on the deportation of foreign nationals were last published in 2002. Copies of this are available in the Library of the House.
	Published information on persons removed as a result of deportation action has not been available from 2003 onwards due to data quality issues. The Border and Immigration Agency is continuing to put in place new systems to improve its data collection for the future in this area. The Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency will continue to update the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and accurate information available as required.

Resettlement: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens currently employed by the Ministry of Defence have had an application for indefinite leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the Immigration Rules rejected.

Liam Byrne: As of 25 February no locally engaged staff seeking indefinite leave to enter from Iraq have yet submitted an application for entry clearance to UKvisas.

Resettlement: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of assisting the transportation of Iraqi staff and dependents who received leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the Immigration Rules has been in 2007-08 to date.

Liam Byrne: To date no costs for transportation have been incurred.

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) statutory instruments,  (b) departmental circulars and  (c) other documents she issued consequential on the provisions of section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 in each year since the Act came into force; and how many she plans to issue in the next 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: On 20 March 2007 SI 2007 No. 930 was made by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office designating 16 royal, government and parliamentary sites. A factual inaccuracy in this statutory instrument was amended by SI 2007 No. 1387 which was made on 2 May 2007. Both these statutory instruments came into force on 1 June 2007. On 22 May 2007 a Home Office circular (No. 18/2007) was issued giving advice to police forces on the operation of the offence at these 16 sites. No other documents have been issued publicly and it is not currently anticipated that any more will be issued in the next 12 months.

Prostate Cancer: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many diagnoses of prostate cancer there were in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 March 2008:
	 As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many diagnoses of prostate cancer there were in Lancashire in each of the last five years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases (incidence) of malignant neoplasm of prostate are for the year 2005. Figures for 2001-2005 for males in the county of Lancashire are in the table below.
	
		
			  Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer( 1) , males, county of Lancashire, 2001-05 
			   Number 
			 2001 731 
			 2002 633 
			 2003 728 
			 2004 846 
			 2005 874 
			 (1) Prostate cancer is coded to C61 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10).  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  for what reasons tax returns are transferred between HM Revenue and Customs offices;
	(2)  how many tax returns were lost in transfer between HM Revenue and Customs offices in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what procedures are in place to record the transfer of tax returns between HM Revenue and Customs offices.

Jane Kennedy: Under the terms of the Taxes Management Act 1970 (1970 c 9) taxpayers may deliver their self assessment tax return to any HMRC office. Where paper tax returns are received in offices which are not the processing office HMRC transfer them to the appropriate office. Returns may also be moved between offices to make the most efficient use of processing resources and staff skills.
	HMRC transfer tax returns between their offices using their internal 'Taxpost' systems. Thousands of items are moved through this system everyday and individual items are generally not recorded.
	Information on the number of lost tax returns is not recorded centrally.

Magistrates

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to encourage more people from disadvantaged communities to become magistrates.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are committed to magistracy reflective of our diverse communities. My Department has taken forward a number of initiatives to support greater diversity including, working with employers to encourage them to release employees to serve as magistrates, more informative advertising and application materials to raise the profile of recruitment, a dedicated magistrates website and support for awareness raising schemes such as the magistrates shadowing scheme. In addition, local advisory committees, who recruit and select magistrates, are required to target recruitment towards any groups under-represented in their respective areas.

Armed Forces: Inquests

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost has been to the public purse of inquests into the deaths of members of the armed forces killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan since 19 March 2003.

Bridget Prentice: The cost to the public purse is not kept centrally. Costs have been met by individual local authorities in respect of coroners who have conducted inquests. Other costs have been met by the Ministry of Defence in respect of support provided to families and where as an Interested Person it has engaged legal representation, and by the Legal Services Commission in respect of representation of bereaved families at inquests. Central Government funding has also been provided since June 2006 to the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon coroners, because of the singular burden in these jurisdictions in consequence of the decision to repatriate overseas military fatalities via RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and, since 1 April 2007, via RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. The total costs authorised in relation to legally aided representation for families at inquests into military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are around £100,000 since 19 March 2003. To date, £385,112 has been spent by central Government in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Between 2003 and 2007, the costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence on its own legal representation amounted £1,160,281.66. This figure includes external legal advice on inquest-related matters, as well as costs for representation at inquests. This is normally when potentially complex issues could arise and MOD Counsel could assist the Court in the relevant questioning of witnesses to elicit a clear and full understanding as possible of what took place. The costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence on support to bereaved families are not kept centrally.

Civil Service Appeal Board

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of appeals by employees of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies were (i) heard and (ii) upheld by the Civil Service Appeal Board in each of the last 10 years; how much was awarded in compensation by the Board to each successful appellant in each year; what the reason was for each compensation award; how many appellants were reinstated by the Board in each year; and what the reason was for each (A) dismissal and (B) reinstatement.

Maria Eagle: The ex-DCA does not hold the information centrally in the format requested. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A system has recently been put in place to record the information, although not to the detail requested in this question.
	
		
			   August-December 2006  January-December 2007 
			 Heard 5 13 
			 Upheld 1 1 
			 Percentage 20 8 
		
	
	For NOMS and OCJR, the information has only been collected centrally since 2005, in which time there have been no appeals. To obtain information prior to this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	The Prison Service does not hold the information centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

ClearSprings Management

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what guidance has been given to ClearSprings Management Ltd on the appropriateness of placements for people who are homeless and bailed by the courts;
	(2)  whether the Government contract with ClearSprings Management Ltd includes the housing of prisoners on remand in the community;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library the guidelines followed by ClearSprings Management Ltd in consulting on placing homeless people bailed by the courts in the community.

David Hanson: The regional offender managers, and the director of offender management for Wales, have identified in which towns accommodation is needed, based on the distribution of origins of prisoners. It is for ClearSprings to seek properties in those locations. ClearSprings are required to consult the local authority, police and the probation in selecting properties, in order to avoid inappropriate locations.
	By definition, those remanded on bail in the community are not prisoners, and they may not have been held in prison before being bailed by the courts. The contract with ClearSprings is to provide housing and support in the community for defendants whom the courts have remanded on bail, and for sentenced prisoners who have been released on home detention curfew by the prison governor.
	An unpriced copy of the contract, containing the requirements to ClearSprings for consultation, will be placed in the Library of the House.

Offenders: Bail Hostels

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many violent incidents were recorded at properties operated by ClearSprings Ltd under the Bail and Accommodation Support Service in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many proposals to operate bail houses through the Bail and Accommodation Support Service were withdrawn by ClearSprings Ltd in each month since January 2007;
	(3)  how many offenders were placed in properties in Cornwall by the Bail and Accommodation Support Service in each of the last five years; and what the average period of their detention was, broken down by category of offence;
	(4)  how many  (a) properties were used by and  (b) beds were available through the Bail and Accommodation Support Service in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of these were managed by (i) ClearSprings Management and (ii) other private contractors in (A) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and (B) Cornwall;
	(5)  how many people  (a) on bail and  (b) on home detention curfew were provided with accommodation by (i) the Bail Accommodation and Support Service, (ii) ClearSprings and (iii) other private contractors in (A) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and (B) Cornwall in each month since July 2007;
	(6)  what the  (a) average cost per person per night and  (b) cost per month of providing bail and home detention accommodation through (i) the Bail Accommodation and Support Service, (ii) ClearSprings Management and (iii) other private contractors was in (A) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and (B) Cornwall in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The Bail Accommodation and Support Service has been in operation only since 18 June 2007. From that date until 6 March 2008 734 people have been released into the service. six incidents involving violence at ClearSprings addresses have been reported and if appropriate service users have been recalled to prison, had their bail revoked or offered support as victims.
	ClearSprings have withdrawn four properties from service, none of which had been occupied. Three were withdrawn in January 2008 and one in February 2008.
	No offenders have yet been placed in properties in Cornwall.
	All Bail Accommodation and Support Service properties are managed by ClearSprings. No properties have been made available or used in Cornwall.
	The average cost per person per night for the Bail Accommodation and Support Service in January 2008 was £65 for the service across England and Wales.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce working wings in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Government's priorities for increasing the skills and employment outcomes of offenders are outlined in the document 'Reducing Re-offending Through Skills and Employment: Next Steps' published in December 2006 and 'Prison Policy Update' in January 2008. It emphasises the need to make many prisons places of work and learning.
	We have recently launched our plans to increase the range of constructive work available to offenders inside prison, and in turn their job opportunities in the community. Through the Reducing Re-offending Corporate Alliance over 100 employers are working with us to improve the employment and employability of offenders. We are seeking to engage private, public and voluntary organisations in providing a range of constructive work activities through prison workshops and industries. The Prison's Minister is to host a forum shortly to seek to expand this work.
	There are more than 700 employers working with the Prison Service open and resettlement estate providing work experience and training to offenders as they near release.
	The number of workshops and training centres in existing prisons obviously depends on the size, design and original purpose of the establishment. Training and/or work facilities are a key part of new designs of prisons for appropriate categories of prisoners. Some prisons, for example Category C prisons, are dedicated as whole prisons to training, work and rehabilitation.

Probation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to implement the Intensive Domestic Abuse programme for those on probation; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP) has already been implemented. All probation areas in England and Wales are equipped to deliver either IDAP or the Community Domestic Violence Programme. IDAP is normally delivered at the rate of one session a week, but three probation areas are piloting a more intense pattern of delivery. Whether we promote this intensive method, will depend on the outcome of the evaluation, which is expected shortly.

Probation Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of those leaving probation service employment who will be replaced in the next two financial years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of probation officers to be made redundant by the probation service in 2007-08, broken down by grade.

David Hanson: Information is not available to answer this question as staffing requirements are currently being reviewed throughout the probation service.
	To date, long-term work force planning has been conducted in a limited manner within the probation service and has largely been undertaken in concert with the annual intake on to the Diploma in Probation Studies (DiPS), which is led by NOMS probation area co-ordination unit. Responsibility for all other recruitment and work force planning rests with each of the individual probation areas. With the forthcoming cessation of the DiPS and the development and implementation of its replacement, the process by which work force planning will be conducted nationally and locally, is currently being reviewed in order to align it to future arrangements.

Probation Service: Employment

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation service staff left the service during 2007-08; and how many of those were replaced, broken down by probation service area.

David Hanson: Information on the number of starters and leavers in the NPS is currently only available up to June 2007. The following table shows the number of starters and leavers in each probation area between July 2006 and June 2007.
	
		
			   Q2 2006-07  Q3 2006-07  Q4 2006-07  Q1 2007-08 
			  Area  Starters  Leavers  Starters  Leavers  Starters  Leavers  Starters  Leavers 
			 Avon and Somerset 19.00 17.00 13.80 13.50 4.60 16.10 4.60 9.90 
			 Bedfordshire 2.40 2.80 0.70 5.30 1.20 4.60 3.44 6.00 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.20 3.01 4.50 3.00 2.00 4.42 4.99 3.00 
			 Cheshire 5.86 8.08 11.32 5.90 6.82 11.81 6.62 13.98 
			 Cumbria 7.27 3.04 7.00 4.00 1.23 4.23 7.36 12.81 
			 Derbyshire 0.00 5.50 3.30 3.50 2.00 0.60 0.00 5.00 
			 Devon and Cornwall 11.50 6.46 8.60 10.61 11.70 6.46 12.70 14.71 
			 Dorset 1.00 6.00 3.00 2.00 5.10 4.00 6.00 7.00 
			 Durham 2.20 3.00 13.14 2.28 6.83 5.00 5.00 6.00 
			 Dyfed Powys 22.18 2.30 1.40 2.36 0.00 1.00 1.24 6.90 
			 Essex 12.50 7.10 17.50 11.10 6.40 10.40 13.50 22.90 
			 Gloucestershire 2.96 5.81 14.68 6.00 1.00 7.88 2.60 4.74 
			 Greater Manchester 25.00 46.00 77.00 35.00 14.00 37.00 6.00 40.00 
			 Gwent 17.90 4.20 2.50 3.50 1.60 3.60 0.00 0.00 
			 Hampshire 12.60 17.13 23.86 12.10 4.20 12.61 9.90 22.25 
			 Hertfordshire 14.20 11.00 17.60 6.10 6.20 9.04 11.82 9.30 
			 Humberside 1.00 10.31 16.00 9.23 3.58 8.91 0.59 10.91 
			 Kent 9.60 14.02 29.60 13.71 3.77 10.21 1.95 10.42 
			 Lancashire 3.50 11.00 9.50 16.80 4.80 11.21 11.50 11.30 
			 Leicestershire 7.00 8.00 8.90 7.30 8.10 7.60 8.50 11.20 
			 Lincolnshire 5.40 9.00 13.00 2.65 2.50 2.10 1.00 4.00 
			 London 94.24 61.80 97.00 44.57 76.80 65.58 9.10 58.19 
			 Merseyside 4.50 18.50 12.00 8.49 0.00 11.00 1.60 20.90 
			 Norfolk 5.00 14.00 15.00 4.00 3.00 11.00 6.00 13.30 
			 North Wales 11.00 5.50 2.50 2.50 0.00 3.00 2.00 2.80 
			 North Yorkshire 5.00 5.50 9.50 2.50 5.00 2.00 8.00 8.00 
			 Northamptonshire 0.00 0.00 13.32 6.00 6.31 6.90 9.30 10.95 
			 Northumbria 18.41 9.24 10.41 13.00 8.85 13.61 9.09 25.14 
			 Nottinghamshire 14.90 8.90 32.70 32.50 7.50 20.80 7.60 24.90 
			 South Wales 26.98 9.50 1.00 10.50 4.00 7.60 7.85 3.20 
			 South Yorkshire 10.90 24.80 17.00 16.60 3.00 19.30 0.00 14.00 
			 Staffordshire 3.00 5.00 2.00 5.00 10.50 0.00 3.30 5.30 
			 Suffolk 4.60 4.70 3.22 1.86 0.61 6.61 2.00 5.00 
			 Surrey 15.40 15.30 11.53 8.90 8.86 6.90 7.32 8.49 
			 Sussex 9.00 12.00 28.00 5.00 8.00 8.00 5.00 17.00 
			 Teesside 2.20 12.00 13.30 6.40 9.80 4.40 3.00 5.00 
			 Thames Valley 20.00 21.60 33.20 30.70 17.70 20.10 8.60 26.60 
			 Warwickshire 3.18 7.10 5.00 7.00 0.00 2.50 2.00 4.00 
			 West Mercia 17.02 13.43 10.41 7.44 2.49 16.47 21.59 13.24 
			 West Midlands 22.81 26.53 11.82 33.61 41.99 32.44 29.38 15.34 
			 West Yorkshire 24.00 26.00 44.00 24.00 24.00 13.00 17.00 21.00 
			 Wiltshire 6.00 6.60 17.60 10.30 17.60 10.30 19.20 16.10 
			 NPS 505.41 508.76 687.41 456.81 353.64 460.28 298.24 550.77

Re-offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account was taken of A Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending, published in February 2006, in producing his Department's Strategic Plan for Reducing Re-offending 2008-2011; and what progress has been made on the 2006 Strategy's recommendations on  (a) more use of intermittent custody for people with family responsibilities and  (b) the vision for community prisons.

David Hanson: The Government have just completed its consultation on the new Strategic Plan for Reducing Re-offending 2008-11. The plan will be published in the late spring and will effectively link cross government partners to the delivery of objectives to reduce re-offending and protect the public. The consultation period ensured that the Government gathered the views of our partners at a national, regional and local level on how we can best build on our successes to date, such as the roll out of offender management for those offenders who pose the greatest risk of harm to the public, and working with Local Strategic Partnerships in negotiations around Local Area Agreements, both actions contained in the Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending.
	In terms of the two specific recommendations highlighted:
	 (a) Intermittent custody: following trials of intermittent custody at HMP Kirkham and HMP Motion Hall from January 2004 to November 2006, the Government decided to make no further use of the sentence for the time being.
	 (b) Community prisons: the current strategy for the prison estate was outlined in "Penal Policy—a background paper" published on 9 May 2007. In her "Review of Women with Particular Vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System" Baroness Corston recommended that existing women's prisons should be replaced with suitable, geographically dispersed, small, multi-functional custodial centres. Such centres have aspects in common with a community prison concept. A small project is presently under way as part of the Government's response to the report of Baroness Corston looking at the merits of a pilot unit to test how a small, multi-functional, custodial centre for women might work.

Re-offenders: Costs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 730W, to the hon. Member for Harborough, on re-offenders: costs, what estimate he has made of the cost of crime committed by ex-prisoners in England and Wales in each of the last five years, using the methodology used by the Social Exclusion Unit in its 2002 estimate.

David Hanson: There are currently no year-on-year on estimates of the costs of crime or re-offending to the economy, although the Home Office published an estimate of the total cost of crime to individuals and households in 2003-04, part of which will be attributable to re-offending. Ministry of Justice analysts are currently developing the knowledge-base concerning the costs of re-offending and how this varies by the persistence and frequency of re-offending and the type of offences committed.